My Christmas Tree

My Christmas TreeChristmas would not be complete without the songs of merriment that fill our Yuletide season. In fact, some Christmas songs have been so memorable that they’ve managed to establish themselves as classic Christmas songs.

Tree Time Christmas presents Christmas Tree Classics’ My Christmas Tree - a well-loved song now frequently heard at many holiday parties and sung by many carolers during the festivities of the Christmas season.

The Composer

The song “My Christmas Tree” was composed by John Williams, an accomplished composer, pianist and conductor. Williams has worked on numerous movie musical scores. His most popular work is the musical soundtrack to the Star Wars Saga and his works are featured in many other Steven Spielberg films. He is a recipient of a number of industry awards including five Academy Awards, twenty-one Grammy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and seven BAFTA Awards.

Williams attended North Hollywood High School and went to college at UCLA. To further pursue musical studies, he was under the tutelage of Italian composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. In 1955, he enrolled in the Julliard School where he studied piano.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

“My Christmas Tree” was composed in the 1990s and was one of the songs featured in the motion soundtrack for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The story follows Kevin McCallister, a boy who gets lost in an airport because he mistakenly followed a man he thought was his father (both men were wearing the same coat). Kevin ends up in New York and spends Christmas there. The family realizes Kevin had mistakenly flown to New York, instead of Florida where the rest of the family was for the Christmas vacation. The McCallisters fly to New York to find Kevin. The family meets Kevin at Rockefeller Center and they reconcile. The film was a huge holiday hit and grossed $31.1 million at the box office.

The entire soundtrack was nominated for Best Original Score in the Academy Awards. Its inclusion in the Home Alone 2 soundtrack has made “My Christmas Tree” a popular Christmas song for many households and Christmas parties.

Meaning of the Song

Christmastime means laughter
To buckets in the snow,
Caroling together
With faces of Love

Stockings on the mantel,
A wreath on the door
And my Merriest Christmas
Means just one thing more

The song begins with a very colorful description of a typical Christmas celebration. It is describes why Christmastime is a time of joy. Genuine laughter fills the air as friends and family have fun in the snow or go caroling together. A stocking is on the mantel and a wreath is on the door, truly the scene of a very, merry Christmas.

Christmas Tree,
My Christmas Tree,
Lit up like a star;
When I see my Christmas tree,
Can loved ones be far?

Christmas Tree, I'm certain
Wherever I roam ,
The glow from your branches
Will light my way home.

As mentioned earlier, the song was part of a soundtrack for Home Alone 2. The chorus speaks of how a Christmas tree and its lights can figuratively or literally lead someone home. The glow of lights on a path is a common imagery for a guided journey home. The lyrics of the song reflect this as well.

Ornaments collected
From every Christmas night,
Memories reflected
Through tinsel and light;

Gratefully we gather
As ever before
To rejoice in the season
And sing out once more

The next few lines in the song speak about how Christmas memories are sometimes attached to decorations or ornaments that adorn our Christmas trees. These good memories are made from gatherings with loved ones who find joy in Christmas, the season of togetherness.

“My Christmas Tree” remains a popular Christmas songs made famous by being part of a movie soundtrack. It reminds us that joy of Christmas is best fulfilled in the company of family and friends.